Sanofi VETS Group Comes Together for Community Hope Flag Day Run and Walk
By John Fritchman, Marketing Brand Lead, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Business Unit
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At Sanofi, Diversity and Inclusion is foundational to how we operate as a company by successfully leveraging differences in people, perspective and ideas to drive business outcomes. Our nine Sanofi US employee resource groups (ERGs) are an essential part of creating an inclusive culture by helping us uniquely connect with our patients and communities. If you’re unfamiliar with ERGs, these are employee-managed groups that are built on a shared affinity, background or experience.
I’m a former Army Captain, and I am proud to be a member of VETS, an ERG that provides our employee vets and military family members with a network, resources, and support, and we offer the company guidance and insights on veteran recruiting practices. Our group also works with outreach programs and participates in events like Community Hope’s 15th Annual Flag Day 5K Run and 1-Mile Walk. This event, held at the VA New Jersey Healthcare System in Lyons, raises money to provide housing and support services that helps veterans and their families overcome mental illness, addiction, homelessness and poverty.
As my colleague, Bill Kelley, Manager and HR Business Partner and a former US Marines Sergeant, points out, the event not only raised much-needed funds for a worthy cause, but it also brought together Sanofi employees from across the organization. Many brought family members and friends, and we all had lots of fun socializing and competing. This has become an annual event for many of us.
This year’s record-breaking fund-raising event clearly showed the sense of community that the VETS ERG can generate, and it made me proud to know that Sanofi US sponsored the event. I want to thank the company for its support and give a shout-out to my colleagues and their families and friends who joined us.